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Chapter 46 - THE IMPENDING DOOM

In Chef Spice's new restaurant in Old Berry Town, Nhia sits, taking a sip of his cold beer, reminiscing about the time before everyone went to the war. His mind drifts back to a conversation he had with Ezzy, recalling how he once questioned her about the potential of things going awry. Ezzy had then asked him if he wished to be part of the war. Nhia expresses his desires to help but admitted his lack of strength, fearing he'd be a hindrance. Ezzy comforts him, assuring that she had a backup plan if the war didn't proceed as intended. She hands Nhia a device with a light bulb and a button, explaining that if the tides turned against them, the bulb would illuminate, and it would be Nhia's responsibility to push the button, offering them a chance at victory. The flashback concludes as Nhia notices the light bulb of the device flickering in his pocket.

He retrieves the device from his pocket and inhales deeply, preparing to press the button. But before he can do so, someone sneaks up behind him wielding a knife and demands to know Rune's whereabouts. Nhia is startled by the proximity of the knife to his neck. He responds, stating that Rune has gone to the war. Glancing at the window's reflection, he realizes it's a young person behind him—Jacade, one of the captured rider kids. Nhia queries how Jacade managed to escape his jail cell. Jacade explains that the town is in ruins, making his escape easier. Curiously, Jacade inquires about Rune's family. Nhia explains that Rune only has Simbad, a friend who also joined the war, and adds that he might be the closest person in town who is friends with Rune.

Jacade grins, touching the scar Rune left on his face, expressing his intention to paint the ruined town red upon Rune's return, with Nhia being the center part of the display. Nhia, feeling the impending danger, closes his eyes and presses the button. At that moment, as Jacade is about to harm Nhia, the window in front of them shatters. Nhia opens his eyes to witness the broken window and notices a slender beam of light emanating from the direction of the egg. He turns around to find Adam gripping Jacade's wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Nhia gazes at the device, realizing its significance, and voices his belief that this could be their pivotal moment in the war. He suspects that Ezzy somehow knew that pressing this button would expedite Adam's emergence from the egg. With Jacade in custody thanks to Adam's intervention, Nhia and all the town folks follows Adam. Amidst the crowd, Adam stands in the street's center, enveloped by the town folks' prayers, sensing their collective energy. As he listens to all their prayers he notices Barbra approaching. They embrace, and Barbra urgently informs him that his family needs him. Prompting Adam to approach Nhia and take hold of the device, sensing a mysterious connection. A surge of magic comes out of Adam and envelops the device, indicating a specific direction. Nhia recognizes it as the path to the war. Following this indication, Adam leaps high into the air, soaring toward the warfront.

Meanwhile at the island, as Ember detonates before Ezzy and her fire curse activates, she takes out a device to push the only button on it as it dissolves shortly afterward. Meanwhile, in a van where Mai resides, Nakao alerts her that Rudda has survived the trap. Before Mai can respond, her attention is drawn to one of the computer screen, displaying spontaneous detonations of their set explosives from a nearby location. She looks at a different Computer screen to see many explosives flying towards the island. Bewildered by the unexpected triggers, Mai attempts to trace the source of this activation, meticulously coding on the computer to uncover the reason behind the sudden trigger. Examining the footage captured by Ezzy's webcam before it went dark, Mai witnesses Ezzy utilizing a device and pressing a button. Delving deeper into the computer's analysis, she detects a digital signal from the device, that was sent to Old Berry Town. Then another signal coming out of Old Berry Town that connected with their set explosives, triggering them all. Puzzled by Ezzy's unexpected actions and the identity of the other signal sender in Old Berry Town, Mai issues urgent instructions through the earpieces, urging everyone to flee and seek cover.

Explosions ravage the island, scattering devastation in all random directions. Rudda, utilizing her magical abilities, redirects several explosives away from the island using her needle blades. Amidst the chaos, Henry observes the widespread explosions, decimating a significant number of his riders. He moves to confront Ezzy, but their clash is interrupted by an explosion landing between them, erupting into a violent burst. Close by, Jean sprouts a wing from his back, swiftly hoisting Stella and Agustin high into the air to evade the incoming explosives. Right outside of the Island lakes Robo Mall witness Rudda's redirection of some explosives, it sprints away from their trajectory, evading the explosions that scatter through the forest outside of the island.

At the island's front gates, Nakao reaches the spot where Rune, Simbad, and Xai have landed. Hurrying towards them, she notices soldiers departing in battle buses and vans nearby. She calls out for them to wait, prompting one of the vans to halt. Rushing to Rune and the others, Nakao lifts the unconscious and severely wounded Rune as a soldier emerges from the van to assist with Xai, quickly placing them inside the van. Nakao and the soldier sprint back, bearing the weight of Simbad's inert body. As they hurry, they notice a swarm of redirected explosives hurtling toward them. Explosions erupt in their vicinity, prompting the soldier to hasten back to the van. However, an explosive lands directly on him, detonating and throwing Nakao and Simbad a short distance away. Nakao regains consciousness amid the chaos of more explosions. Swiftly rising, she assists Simbad to the van, all the while dodging successive explosions. Eager to secure Simbad's safety, she places him inside and rushes to the driver's seat. As she accelerates, an explosion strikes the ground behind the van, launching it into the air and causing a crash landing in the dense forest.

Meanwhile, in the Mansion's backyard, a barrage of explosives descends around the maze, prompting Jarvis's unexpected laughter at the situation, saying that he didn't know this is how they both go out. Megan charges toward Jarvis, but an explosion disrupts their confrontation, flinging her towards a towering water fountain. As she clears the blood from her brow, she sees more explosives rain down around the area, shattering the fountain and plunging her deep into the water's depths. Amidst the chaos, Megan hears the deafening explosions but gradually succumbs to darkness, guided by a distant voice that calls out to her. Awakening slowly, she swims back up to the surface to noticed she's in a water well, greeted by the faceless man, informing her that she's been submerged in the well of healing for two hours. Megan realizes she got lost in thoughts about her future with the faceless man and their upcoming wedding. The faceless man then reminds her that she has a special event today and that her brother is going to mad. This makes her remembers she has a speech to deliver with her brother and is startled by her late arrival. Determined to emerge from the well, Megan pauses, noticing her missing necklace, she takes a look at the bottom of the well to see the necklace. Diving back into the depths, she swims toward it, her vision blurring as she reaches out. Slowly, she returns to consciousness, greeted by the sunlight filtering through the water's surface. 

Explosions ravage the Mansion, shattering its structure. Unperturbed by the chaos, Kiren and Volk persist in their intense combat. Kiren deftly avoids Volk's blade strikes, seizing an opportunity to extract Mikey's blade from Volk's back, causing a profusion of blood out of Volk's body. Their clash continues uninterrupted until an explosion nearby propels them into the walls, leaving them battered and broken. Amidst the wreckage, blood trickling down his face, Kiren notices Volk still clinging to life. Mikey urges Kiren that they need to take cover or else they both will die. Just as another explosive lands, poised to detonate, a needle blade dislodges the explosive, whisking it out of the Mansion. Rudda appears, cradling Henry, and places him beside the wounded Volk, distraught by their dire condition she begins to cry. Employing magic threads, she envelops Volk, Henry, and herself in a protective cocoon, a poignant attempt to save and protect them.

Kiren, desperate to shield themselves from the explosions, crawls toward Mikey and repeatedly smashes his head against the floor until it gives way, sending them crashing to a lower level. Relentlessly, Kiren continues using his head to break through each subsequent floor, seeking refuge from the explosions. Reaching what seems to be the bottom, Mikey suggests they may be at the final floor. Refusing to halt, Kiren insists they go deeper. With concerted effort, Mikey breaks through the floor, revealing only soil underneath. Undeterred by the chaos around them, Kiren begins to dig with his head while the Mansion trembles from the relentless explosions. Mikey joins in, assisting Kiren in the frantic digging. Finally, the entire Mansion collapses, engulfed in countless explosives.

Moments after the explosions settle, Mai sits in her van, utterly devastated by the recent events. Wiping away her tears, she reflects on Ezzy's willingness to risk the lives of Mikey, Megan, Kiren, Agustin, Stella, Jean, and herself. Multiple screens in the van display body cams from Kiren, Mikey, Agustin, Stella, Jean, and Ezzy, all showing a blank screen with a "no signal" message. Nakao's voice breaks through Mai's earpiece, inquiring about the status of the ongoing war. Mai, feeling uncertain, responds that she's unsure of the current situation. Suddenly, Stella's body cam reconnects, displaying her point of view on the screen as she reassures everyone that they're safe. The camera then pans to Jean carrying Agustin and Stella high above the ground. Mai breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of their survival. Gradually, more screens regain connection, offering various angles showcasing the island's devastated state in ruins.

On the desolate island, a fiery hand emerges, tearing through the ground. Flames erupt from the ground as Ezzy comes out and screams, writhing in excruciating internal and external agony caused by her fire curse. She rolls on the ground, pleading for the torment to cease. Spotting one of Mai's camera bugs nearby, she desperately warns it to stay away, unable to control the flames that surge from her. Explosive fire blasts emanate from Ezzy's body, engulfing the surroundings in a searing inferno. Amidst her anguish, she cries out, begging for someone to end her suffering. Suddenly, she notices the rabbit monster, wounded but agile, maneuvering through the flames. As she peers closer, she realizes half of the creature's face is her long-lost lover. Her tears falls from her eyes but is evaporate instantly in the intense heat enveloping her.

The rabbit monster, half its face resembling a human visage, tears away the remaining rabbit façade, revealing its complete human countenance. Ezzy, recognizing him as Hue, calls out his name. He accuses her of abandoning him in her parents' cage, vowing never to forgive her. With a forceful kick to her face, Ezzy crashes to the ground, unable to protest, acknowledging her responsibility for leaving him behind years ago. Resigned to her fate at the hands of her estranged lover, Ezzy embraces the prospect of being ended by him, hoping for a respite from her fire curse pain.

She shuts her eyes and a poignant memory resurfaces—the final words of her mother before she explodes in flames, expressing her fervent desire for Ezzy to live. In this moment, amidst the chaos, Ezzy hears Hue's anguished cries as he writhes in fiery torment, attempting to inflict further harm. His voice echoes, accusing Ezzy of denying him the chance to cause her suffering, a lamentation for the three years of torment he has endured. Apologetically, Ezzy acknowledges her inability to control the flames arounds her.

In his desperation, Hue calls out loudly, beseeching Henry for additional power. Abruptly, a giant needle blade, shimmering with blue magic, emerges from the shattered remains of the mansion, piercing Hue's back and infusing him with a blend of red, green, and blue energies. Simultaneously, another needle blade emerges from the ravaged mansion, targeting Jarvis's charred form. The mixture colors of magic imbue his body, rousing him to consciousness as he rises, feeling a surge of unparalleled strength. Shedding the needle blade, a panther-like cloak forms around him, an embodiment of newfound power. Jarvis expresses gratitude to Rudda, Henry, and Volk for saving him, surveying the desolation of the entire island. He catches the sound of rushing water and turns to witness Megan emerging from a water crevice.

Jarvis laughs heartily, remarking on the apparent continuation of their destined conflict, believing the world favors his victory. Megan strides aimlessly in a random direction, paying no heed to Jarvis's words. Puzzled, Jarvis takes a look at Megan, seeing her half-open eyes, as if she's in a state of sleepwalking. He urges Megan not to ignore him, aiming a swift strike at her back, leaving three bleeding gashes. Yet, he's perplexed by Megan's lack of reaction, finding her unpredictability intriguing. With a chuckle, he acknowledges Megan's exceptional nature, always managing to surprise him. Megan's eyes, partially open, mirror her dreams as she momentarily halts, extending her arms and gazing up at the sky.

Suddenly emerging from the shattered remains of the mansion, a colossal monster in the form of Rudda looms skyward. Tethered to her body are numerous needle blades connected by strings. A resounding roar reverberates across the entire landscape. With a display of her magic prowess, Rudda commands the blade needles, directing them upward. All the needles converge, charging a colossal energy sphere that fills the expanse of the sky. Shouting out a declaration that anyone who harms her family will die! She hurls the immense energy orb toward the direction of Old Berry Town. Mai urgently instructs Michael to stop the energy ball's progression. Trembling in fear, Michael expresses his apprehension, fearing that attempting to stop it could cost him his life. Mai insists he confront Rudda, hoping to disrupt her focus on the energy ball. Michael shakes in fear and takes a look at Rudda to noticed that she is much stronger than before when they fought each other. He's suddenly is alerted by Rex's furious voice, commanding Robo Mall as the massive robot maneuvers swiftly, evading and deflecting numerous needle blades aimed at it. This emboldens Michael, finally prompting him to take action, surging forward with his lightning powers to aid Rex in the battle against Rudda.